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Death in religion
Compare and contrast the Koran and the Old Testament
Torah and Qur'an comparisons
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In each religious story, there was a common thread. Humans were presented with two paths and had to decide whether they wanted to obey or disobey God or the god’s commands. In both the Koran and the Bible, we see Adam and Eve falling for the serpent and disobeying God. In the epic, we saw that Gilgamesh never obeyed the gods and so they punished him by killing his friend. In the myths we see similar tales of human disagreement or disobeyal of their gods. In each case, the punishment is mortality. Although this makes them very similar, their ideas on what happens after death are quite different. The Koran states, “...when God so pleases, we all will be revived in the totality of being and will be brought before Him for a full accounting of the
ways in which we have chosen to live our lives”(38). Muslims believe that God will rightfully punish the people that have disobeyed Him and praise the ones who whole-heartedly followed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, only the gods went to heaven. Anyone who wasn't a god went to the underworld and had their fate decided by Gilgamesh.
In all religions key elements exist, cornerstones of their belief system, upon which everything else builds (Wilkins 22). These elements explain the world around us, from the fabrication of the universe to the meaning of life, imparting knowledge of the social mores and customs of the times (Wilkins 3). These myths testify to the moral and ethical code of the society that first conceived them (Wilkins 5). As with all systems of rule, an attempt to force the peoples governed by them into obedience creates possibilities for positive and negative reinforcement via religious beliefs (Wilkins 12). Good and bad, or in more common terms, heaven and hell. Punishment on earth is often short lived and quickly forgotten, but a threat of eternal punishment is well, eternal. From ancient Egyptians to current Judeo-Christian religion, there is always an eternal punishment for infractions of the religious law though the punishments and crimes may vary.
The concepts of death and divinity are seemingly viewed in different lights when comparing The Hebrew Bible and The Iliad, but are actually similar in their fundamental ideologies. A “good death” in The Hebrew Bible results in one’s soul going to heaven. The Hebrew Bible puts emphasis on how one can make it to heaven while one is alive, meaning that where one’s soul goes is determined by how righteously they lived their own life. This means that the outlook on death greatly varies between the texts, because death is seen as something positive that one works towards over the course of their brief time on earth in The Hebrew Bible. Conversely, a “good death” in The Iliad results in one’s essence becoming immortal through the legacy they leave
This story teaches that death is an unavoidable and inevitable circumstance of mortal life, which is the most significant precept Gilgamesh learns. Gilgamesh is resentful that only the gods can exist eternally. Gilgamesh is frightened by the idea of his own destiny. Mesopotamian divinity proposes a perception of an afterlife; the deceased spend their period being dead in a netherworld. Death is inevitably entwined within the structure of creation. Life is also entwined, although mortals die, humanity maintains to live. The message that Gilgamesh returns with from his adventure is not primarily about death, but about life. Fragment of a tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh is figure C down
Christian and Islam are the most prominent world religions that are being practiced nearly on every continent around the earth. Christianity is a form of religion that took its name from a word that is used to describe Jesus. This word is a Greek word that is Christ and in Hebrew it is the same as the statement messiah which means the anointed one. Islam also is a form of religion whose its followers are called Muslims. The word Islam means submission that signifies the obedience to the ruler. Christianity tradition and Islam religions differ in terms of the founder and time, the area of origin, monotheistic or polytheistic plus the sacred texts, major God(s),clergy, and sacred ideas/symbols in addition to goal of life, moral code, and
Christianity and Islam are two religions that grew from the same central idea of one divine being; they also originate from Jerusalem. However, the two religions bear great disparity but they also hold a few similarities. Both Islam and Christianity believe in Abraham as the forefather of both religions; they believe Him to be the founder of the two religions. The two religions have a holy book; Islam uses the Quran while Christians use the bible. Even though the two books do not bear the same teachings they are considered sacred in both religions. However, Christianity and Islam share a great deal of differences starting from the holy books, their beliefs, and the information contained in the respective holy book (Kavanaugh, 5).
Contained in the many intricate and poetic Surahs of the Qur’an are retellings of a number of famous stories of the Hebrew Bible, known to Jews as the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. However, the Qur’an’s account of the lives of certain biblical characters often differs in significant ways from the Jewish version. While a believer in the divine nature of the Qur’an may claim that differences in facts stem from distortions of G-d’s message as recorded in Jewish holy books, both Muslims and non-Muslims might agree that the differences in emphasis are intentional. A more cynical observer might claim that the Qur’an changed the known Bible stories to suit its purposes. By choosing to include certain parts of a famous story and leaving out others, the story itself takes on a very different significance. Occasionally, the Qur’an will also discuss parts of the story which are entirely left out of the Torah, in which case a Muslim may claim the Torah did not deem those facts important for its own reasons. A cynical observer would claim the Qur’an made these additions to make its own message clearer.
The three most influential books in human history, the holy books of the three main Abrahamic religions, share a common though checkered history. With a string of familiar figures and incidents, each book builds upon its predecessor, sometimes retaining the exact nature of the story and sometimes giving it a new version. Each book seems to have been influenced by its specific purpose and the circumstances of the time it was revealed, with the stories meeting the demands of the day. I believe that the Quranic treatment of Jesus was to establish a firm monotheistic belief.
The Bible is a collection of sixty books that was written by diverse of authors, including the apostles and the disciple of Jesus. The Bible divided into two Testaments; the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament or the old contract is a collection of thirty-six books and the New Testament has twenty seven books. The New Testament is a contract between God and the humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Koran was written by Muhammad, a prophet of God. Muslims believed that he received a message from Angel Gabriel and wrote the Koran. However, Both the Bible and the Koran are the words of God. The Christians believe in the resurrection of Christ Jesus has the son of God while the Muslims do not believe Jesus Christ as the son of God.
...did not die’. Islam belief in human nature is also different from Christianity; but the same in Judaism, that human nature has the equal ability to do good or evil. Means of salvation in Islam is closely the same to the other Abrahamic beliefs. In addition, good and bad afterlife beliefs are closely related as well. Interestingly, Christianity views Islam as a false religion and Islam views Judaism and Christianity as ultimately having wrong beliefs and ‘only partial revelation’. Ultimately, these Abrahamic religions are the most influential religions in the world. Their impact on the world is very deep and all trace their history to Abraham in the Hebrew Bible. The brief overview of the similarities and differences of the three monotheistic faiths enables people to enrich or at least receive a concrete vision of what can possibly come with death and the afterlife.
Most of the contemporary problems bedeviling our society are because of lack of proper spiritual anchorage. Civil and technological differentiations embodied in the media have aggravated the situation. Technological differentiation has undermined religion by taking the place of spirituality in adherents’ lives.
... people. It also shows the dependence of people on God. Moses was a man of courage who sought to see the face of the God. He received the laws of the lord and made sacrifices for them when they sinned. Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and his people (Woolfe).
Throughout history, the concept of death and an afterlife has always been present regardless of the culture or religion. It has also been very influential in literature and other writings. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, there is a portrayal of the Greek beliefs of the afterlife. The Bible addresses this theme as well in the gospel of Matthew. Between these two works, there are noticeable differences about the beliefs of death due to the different cultures in which they were written. Despite the many variations, there are some slight similarities regarding the afterlife. Although the two writings were composed in different cultures and time periods, the notions of an afterlife in each piece can be easily related.
Two of the most popular texts in the world is the Bible and the Quran. The bible is a text that is a complication of many books into one. Each book can be written by different authors and each story is different from the next. The main religion group that reads the Bible are the Jews and the Christians. The Quran is the Islamic sacred book. The Islamic people believe that the text is the word of god, and that their prophet was Muhammad. A variety of differences and similarities between the Bible and the Quran are conveyed through the portrayals of Jesus, a passionate God, and the way women are being represented in each text.
Islam teaches that there is one God: the creator and sustainer of the universe, who is compassionate and just. He calls all the people to believe in Him and worship Him. When someone disobeys the Lord, they may be forgiven if they sincerely repent. In Christianity, the first, and most important of the Ten Commandments states that "I am the Lord thy God." Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.